Trump: Putin has been a leader 'far more' than Obama

Donald Trump tossed more praise to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday night, saying he has been a better leader than U.S. President Barack Obama.

"(Putin) has very strong control over a country. Now, it's a very different system and I don't happen to like that system. But certainly in that system he's been a leader far more than our president has been a leader," the Republican presidential nominee said at NBC's commander-in-chief forum in New York.

Some, including Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, have criticized Trump for past statements praising Putin even as he appears to exercise more power. Previously in this campaign cycle, Trump has stumbled over questions about Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory Crimea and called for Russians to find missing emails from Clinton's time as secretary of state.

Donald Trump speaks to Matt Lauer during the Commander in Chief Forum in Manhattan, New York, September 7, 2016.

Mike Segar | Reuters

When asked about Putin previously calling Trump "brilliant," the billionaire developer said he would "take the compliment." Trump said Putin's compliments of him will have "zero impact."

"The fact is, look, it's not going to get him anywhere. I'm a negotiator," Trump said.

The gathering was the first time both Trump and Clinton have shared the same stage in this election, albeit at separate times. The two square off directly during the first presidential debate on Sept. 26 at Hofstra University.